A five-year-old Halifax boy who had cataract surgery is helping children in developing countries access the same procedure that saved his own vision.
Zachary Gardiner started losing his vision due to cataracts at the age of four.
“At the optometry clinic they diagnosed it pretty much right away and then two days later we were at the IWK,” says his mother, Colleen Gardiner.
Within three weeks, Zachary had surgery on one eye. He had surgery on his other eye a month later.
“It was a challenging few months for us, but in the grand scheme of things, everything’s going to be completely fine,” says Gardiner. “He just gets to wear glasses and we go for checks every three months, but you know, not everybody gets that opportunity.”
With that in mind, Gardiner and her husband set aside two jars to help teach their son about the power of giving.
“One for me to buy toys and one for me to give money to the kids that can’t get cataract surgery,” explains Zachary.
The family also got involved with Seva Canada – an organization aimed at restoring sight and preventing blindness in developing countries.
When Zachary receives change from his grandparents or from doing chores, he puts one coin in the toy jar and the rest in the jar for Seva Canada. In the first year, he raised $150, which is enough to help one child.
Zachary and his family are ramping up their fundraising efforts as he sets his sights on an even bigger goal – helping 100 children in developing countries.
Zachary says he plans to take on more chores so he can earn more money, and a lemonade stand and cupcake sale are also in the works.
So far, the Gardiners have raised about $1,300, which has helped 10 children.
